Latest news with #CrazyforYou
India Today
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Madonna reacts to ties with Pope Leo XIV; Jolie, Bieber also among his relatives
Pop star Madonna recently reacted to a New York Times report that claimed that the artiste is a distant relative of the newly elected Pope. The report also mentioned a surprising list of A-list celebrities who are allegedly linked to the Vatican. The pop artist reacted sarcastically to the news in her Instagram Stories, tagged her father, and wrote, "Silvio, We're related to the Pope! Strike a pose (sic)!"advertisementAccording to the report, the Pope's family roots were traced through a joint project between the New York Times, American Ancestors, and the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami. Upon further digging, it was found that the Pope shares a common ancestor, Louis Boucher de Grandpre of Quebec, with a list of other A-list celebrities. Apart from Madonna, the list included Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, Jack Kerouac, Hillary Clinton, and both Pierre and Justin Trudeau. (Photo Credit: Instagram/madonna) The 'Crazy for You' singer's connection to the Pope came three years after she asked his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, to meet and discuss her three alleged excommunications from the "Hello @Pontifex Francis —I'm a good Catholic. I Swear!" she wrote on X in May 2022. "I mean I don't Swear! Its been a few decades since my last confession. Would it be possible to meet up one day to discuss some important matters ? (sic), she wrote. (Photo Credit: X/madonna) In 2023, she made headlines by appearing as the Virgin Mary on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine, with imagery alluding to the 12 apostles. Looking back at the Church's long-standing criticism of her work, Madonna once expressed surprise, saying she was 'shocked to see myself being attacked by the Church,' as they failed to see that her work aimed to create something Leo XIV made history as the first American-born pontiff, originally from Chicago. After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, Pope Leo XIV was elected as the new pope. He assumed the papacy on May 8 this year.
Voice of America
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Voice of America
Youth theater production rises from the ashes of Los Angeles fires
The day after her house burned down, Lara Ganz sent a group message to the youth theater troupe she runs: They would not let the Los Angeles firestorm stop their upcoming show. "So many of our castmates have lost everything," wrote Ganz, the director of youth theater at a beloved playhouse in the Pacific Palisades. "We will continue with rehearsals. I am confident we will find a stage." The devastating Jan. 7 fire gutted every inch of the 125-seat Pierson Playhouse, from the basement to the roof, leaving behind only a mangled steel skeleton. Many of the young actors watched it burn on live TV. About half of the show's 45 cast members, aged 8 to 17, lost their homes or can't yet return because of severe damage. Many also lost their schools to the fire. But the show did go on. A two-week run of the musical Crazy for You opened last weekend, in a nearby school auditorium, marking a triumphant return to the stage for a community determined to see its theater rise from the ashes. Five more shows are scheduled for this weekend. The experience lifted the young performers of Theatre Palisades Youth from an unfathomable low point, teaching them the healing power of art in the face of disaster. "The first time I felt happy after the fire was when I walked into that first rehearsal," said Callum Ganz, 17, the director's son, who plays a tap-dancing cowboy in the show. "When I'm singing or dancing, I forget about everything else. I don't think about the fire. All I feel is happiness." "It's always a shock," he said, "when it comes back to me and I remember, 'Oh, right. My house is gone.'" More than 6,800 homes and other structures were flattened in the Palisades fire. Places of worship, shops and schools were destroyed, along with favorite student hangouts downtown — the local skate shop, a pizza place, the Yogurt Shoppe, where the young performers would walk after shows for a celebratory treat. The idea of rebuilding is still a distant dream. The fire destroyed the theater's performance space and everything else — hundreds of costumes and shoes in the downstairs wardrobe department, vintage and new props, their piano and other musical instruments, lights and sound equipment. Parents took to social media, posting pleas for donations. They were met with an outpouring of generosity from the artistic community, stretching from Hollywood to Broadway. Emmy-award winning hairstylist Joy Zapata saw one of the posts, emailed the mother who wrote it to make sure it wasn't a scam, and then put out a call to friends in the business. "I have done horror films with 100 extras running down the Pacific Coast Highway. But this time, the story was real, and it blew me away," Zapata said. She held a tutorial for the cast during dress rehearsals and then returned for opening night with a team of seven Hollywood hair and makeup artists. "I wanted these kids to walk away feeling beautiful," Zapata said, as she curled and sprayed the hair of showgirls into upswept buns. Cowgirls got braided pigtails. A few weeks earlier, Broadway actress Kerry Butler, a Tony-nominated star of Beetlejuice, had invited the kids to sing with her during a concert in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Then, she spent a day leading them in a master class on character development and vocal technique. "I will never forget my time with them," Butler wrote on Instagram. "I met people who lost their homes, schools. But they told me when they heard the theatre was gone — that was when they felt the deepest loss." The group also received wireless mics from Guitar Center and costumes from neighboring schools. The Paul Revere Charter Middle School, for now, has become the troupe's home. "Home" is a charged word in a community where so many have lost theirs. Yet for these young actors and their families, it fits. "I'm learning that a home is not a physical thing. It's the people," said Scarlett Shelton, a 16-year-old from nearby Culver City who has been part of the theater since middle school. It's the type of small-town playhouse that no longer exists in many parts of the country. Kids join young and stay until high school, often leaving with dreams of Broadway. About half of the kids in the cast lived nearby in Pacific Palisades, and the rest come from all over the Los Angeles area. On opening night in a new venue, much of the pre-show jitters and rituals felt the same. The big kids helped calm the nerves of "the littles," as the young actors are affectionately called. Before the show, the entire cast circled up behind the curtain and took turns giving inspirational pep talks. "Knock their socks off!" said one child. Another stepped up to say: "Everyone, dance the night away!" Putting on the show was not the primary goal when Ganz sent out her group text, as her own family evacuated and then learned their home was gone. "That day of the fires, her whole life was destroyed in a few hours. But it wasn't, 'Woe is me, I lost everything,'" said choreographer Rebecca Barragan. "She said: 'We need to have rehearsal right away and get these kids back on their feet. And let them know that life isn't over.'" The original cast of 58 kids dwindled to 45, as families scattered to new homes. Many are mired in a post-wildfire bureaucracy of insurance and government assistance and still figuring out where to go next. "To be with the other kids and create something and have a purpose has been the most healing thing for all of us," said Wendy Levine, whose sixth grader, Tyler, is in the show. "It's been a light in the darkness," said her husband, Eric Levine. The family had just finished remodeling their home and was unpacking boxes mid-morning Jan. 7, when they were ordered to evacuate. They learned that night the home was gone. Ironically, Crazy for You is about a small-town theater struggling to survive, set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. As the story goes, the townsfolk are energized by coming together to create a show after their hometown is hit with hard times. That's what real life felt like these past few weeks, said Sebastian Florido, 14, who plays the lead character and loved getting to perform one number in particular — I Can't Be Bothered Now, which is about the power of song and dance to chase away bad news. "One of the lines is, 'I'm dancing and I can't be bothered now,'" the teen said. "It's really relatable. All this bad stuff was happening, but I'm tap dancing with my best friends. It was like a getaway to a little paradise."
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A youth theater production rises from the ashes of the Los Angeles fires
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The day after her house burned down, Lara Ganz sent a group message to the youth theater troupe she runs: They would not let the Los Angeles firestorm stop their upcoming show. 'So many of our castmates have lost everything,' wrote Ganz, the director of youth theater at a beloved playhouse in the Pacific Palisades. 'We will continue with rehearsals. I am confident we will find a stage.' The devastating Jan. 7 fire gutted every inch of the 125-seat Pierson Playhouse, from the basement to the roof, leaving behind only a mangled steel skeleton. Many of the young actors watched it burn on live TV. About half of the show's 45 cast members, aged 8 to 17, lost their homes or can't yet return because of severe damage. Many also lost their schools to the fire. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. But the show did go on. A two-week run of the musical 'Crazy for You' opened last weekend, in a nearby school auditorium, marking a triumphant return to the stage for a community determined to see its theater rise from the ashes. Five more shows are scheduled for this weekend. The experience lifted the young performers of Theatre Palisades Youth from an unfathomable low point, teaching them the healing power of art in the face of disaster. 'The first time I felt happy after the fire was when I walked into that first rehearsal,' said Callum Ganz, 17, the director's son, who plays a tap-dancing cowboy in the show. 'When I'm singing or dancing, I forget about everything else. I don't think about the fire. All I feel is happiness.' 'It's always a shock,' he said, 'when it comes back to me and I remember, 'Oh, right. My house is gone.'' More than 6,800 homes and other structures were flattened in the Palisades fire. Places of worship, shops and schools were destroyed, along with favorite student hangouts downtown — the local skate shop, a pizza place, the Yogurt Shoppe, where the young performers would walk after shows for a celebratory treat. The idea of rebuilding is still a distant dream. The fire destroyed the theater's performance space and everything else — hundreds of costumes and shoes in the downstairs wardrobe department, vintage and new props, their piano and other musical instruments, lights and sound equipment. Parents took to social media, posting pleas for donations. They were met with an outpouring of generosity from the artistic community, stretching from Hollywood to Broadway. Emmy-award winning hairstylist Joy Zapata saw one of the posts, emailed the mother who wrote it to make sure it wasn't a scam, and then put out a call to friends in the business. 'I have done horror films with 100 extras running down the Pacific Coast Highway. But this time, the story was real, and it blew me away,' Zapata said. She held a tutorial for the cast during dress rehearsals and then returned for opening night with a team of seven Hollywood hair and makeup artists. 'I wanted these kids to walk away feeling beautiful,' Zapata said, as she curled and sprayed the hair of showgirls into upswept buns. Cowgirls got braided pigtails. A few weeks earlier, Broadway actress Kerry Butler, a Tony-nominated star of 'Beetlejuice,' had invited the kids to sing with her during a concert in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Then, she spent a day leading them in a master class on character development and vocal technique. 'I will never forget my time with them,' Butler wrote on Instagram. 'I met people who lost their homes, schools. But they told me when they heard the theatre was gone — that was when they felt the deepest loss.' The group also received wireless mics from Guitar Center and costumes from neighboring schools. The Paul Revere Charter Middle School, for now, has become the troupe's home. 'Home' is a charged word in a community where so many have lost theirs. Yet for these young actors and their families, it fits. 'I'm learning that a home is not a physical thing. It's the people,' said Scarlett Shelton, a 16-year-old from nearby Culver City who has been part of the theater since middle school. It's the type of small-town playhouse that no longer exists in many parts of the country. Kids join young and stay until high school, often leaving with dreams of Broadway. About half of the kids in the cast lived nearby in Pacific Palisades, and the rest come from all over the Los Angeles area. On opening night in a new venue, much of the pre-show jitters and rituals felt the same. The big kids helped calm the nerves of 'the littles,' as the young actors are affectionately called. Before the show, the entire cast circled up behind the curtain and took turns giving inspirational pep talks. 'Knock their socks off!' said one child. Another stepped up to say: 'Everyone, dance the night away!' Putting on the show was not the primary goal when Ganz sent out her group text, as her own family evacuated and then learned their home was gone. 'That day of the fires, her whole life was destroyed in a few hours. But it wasn't, 'Woe is me, I lost everything,'' said choreographer Rebecca Barragan. 'She said: 'We need to have rehearsal right away and get these kids back on their feet. And let them know that life isn't over.'' The original cast of 58 kids dwindled to 45, as families scattered to new homes. Many are mired in a post-wildfire bureaucracy of insurance and government assistance and still figuring out where to go next. 'To be with the other kids and create something and have a purpose has been the most healing thing for all of us,' said Wendy Levine, whose sixth grader, Tyler, is in the show. 'It's been a light in the darkness,' said her husband, Eric Levine. The family had just finished remodeling their home and was unpacking boxes mid-morning Jan. 7, when they were ordered to evacuate. They learned that night the home was gone. Ironically, 'Crazy for You' is about a small-town theater struggling to survive, set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. As the story goes, the townsfolk are energized by coming together to create a show after their hometown is hit with hard times. That's what real life felt like these past few weeks, said Sebastian Florido, 14, who plays the lead character and loved getting to perform one number in particular — 'I Can't Be Bothered Now,' which is about the power of song and dance to chase away bad news. 'One of the lines is, 'I'm dancing and I can't be bothered now,'' the teen said. 'It's really relatable. All this bad stuff was happening, but I'm tap dancing with my best friends. It was like a getaway to a little paradise.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
A youth theater production rises from the ashes of the Los Angeles fires
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The day after her house burned down, Lara Ganz sent a group message to the youth theater troupe she runs: They would not let the Los Angeles firestorm stop their upcoming show. 'So many of our castmates have lost everything,' wrote Ganz, the director of youth theater at a beloved playhouse in the Pacific Palisades. 'We will continue with rehearsals. I am confident we will find a stage.' The devastating Jan. 7 fire gutted every inch of the 125-seat Pierson Playhouse, from the basement to the roof, leaving behind only a mangled steel skeleton. Many of the young actors watched it burn on live TV. About half of the show's 45 cast members, aged 8 to 17, lost their homes or can't yet return because of severe damage. Many also lost their schools to the fire. But the show did go on. A two-week run of the musical 'Crazy for You' opened last weekend, in a nearby school auditorium, marking a triumphant return to the stage for a community determined to see its theater rise from the ashes. Five more shows are scheduled for this weekend. The experience lifted the young performers of Theatre Palisades Youth from an unfathomable low point, teaching them the healing power of art in the face of disaster. 'The first time I felt happy after the fire was when I walked into that first rehearsal,' said Callum Ganz, 17, the director's son, who plays a tap-dancing cowboy in the show. 'When I'm singing or dancing, I forget about everything else. I don't think about the fire. All I feel is happiness.' 'It's always a shock,' he said, 'when it comes back to me and I remember, 'Oh, right. My house is gone.'' More than 6,800 homes and other structures were flattened in the Palisades fire. Places of worship, shops and schools were destroyed, along with favorite student hangouts downtown — the local skate shop, a pizza place, the Yogurt Shoppe, where the young performers would walk after shows for a celebratory treat. The idea of rebuilding is still a distant dream. The fire destroyed the theater's performance space and everything else — hundreds of costumes and shoes in the downstairs wardrobe department, vintage and new props, their piano and other musical instruments, lights and sound equipment. Parents took to social media, posting pleas for donations. They were met with an outpouring of generosity from the artistic community, stretching from Hollywood to Broadway. Emmy-award winning hairstylist Joy Zapata saw one of the posts, emailed the mother who wrote it to make sure it wasn't a scam, and then put out a call to friends in the business. 'I have done horror films with 100 extras running down the Pacific Coast Highway. But this time, the story was real, and it blew me away,' Zapata said. She held a tutorial for the cast during dress rehearsals and then returned for opening night with a team of seven Hollywood hair and makeup artists. 'I wanted these kids to walk away feeling beautiful,' Zapata said, as she curled and sprayed the hair of showgirls into upswept buns. Cowgirls got braided pigtails. A few weeks earlier, Broadway actress Kerry Butler, a Tony-nominated star of 'Beetlejuice,' had invited the kids to sing with her during a concert in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Then, she spent a day leading them in a master class on character development and vocal technique. 'I will never forget my time with them,' Butler wrote on Instagram. 'I met people who lost their homes, schools. But they told me when they heard the theatre was gone — that was when they felt the deepest loss.' The group also received wireless mics from Guitar Center and costumes from neighboring schools. The Paul Revere Charter Middle School, for now, has become the troupe's home. 'Home' is a charged word in a community where so many have lost theirs. Yet for these young actors and their families, it fits. 'I'm learning that a home is not a physical thing. It's the people,' said Scarlett Shelton, a 16-year-old from nearby Culver City who has been part of the theater since middle school. It's the type of small-town playhouse that no longer exists in many parts of the country. Kids join young and stay until high school, often leaving with dreams of Broadway. About half of the kids in the cast lived nearby in Pacific Palisades, and the rest come from all over the Los Angeles area. On opening night in a new venue, much of the pre-show jitters and rituals felt the same. The big kids helped calm the nerves of 'the littles,' as the young actors are affectionately called. Before the show, the entire cast circled up behind the curtain and took turns giving inspirational pep talks. 'Knock their socks off!' said one child. Another stepped up to say: 'Everyone, dance the night away!' Putting on the show was not the primary goal when Ganz sent out her group text, as her own family evacuated and then learned their home was gone. 'That day of the fires, her whole life was destroyed in a few hours. But it wasn't, 'Woe is me, I lost everything,'' said choreographer Rebecca Barragan. 'She said: 'We need to have rehearsal right away and get these kids back on their feet. And let them know that life isn't over.'' The original cast of 58 kids dwindled to 45, as families scattered to new homes. Many are mired in a post-wildfire bureaucracy of insurance and government assistance and still figuring out where to go next. 'To be with the other kids and create something and have a purpose has been the most healing thing for all of us,' said Wendy Levine, whose sixth grader, Tyler, is in the show. 'It's been a light in the darkness,' said her husband, Eric Levine. The family had just finished remodeling their home and was unpacking boxes mid-morning Jan. 7, when they were ordered to evacuate. They learned that night the home was gone. Ironically, 'Crazy for You' is about a small-town theater struggling to survive, set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. As the story goes, the townsfolk are energized by coming together to create a show after their hometown is hit with hard times. That's what real life felt like these past few weeks, said Sebastian Florido, 14, who plays the lead character and loved getting to perform one number in particular — 'I Can't Be Bothered Now,' which is about the power of song and dance to chase away bad news. 'One of the lines is, 'I'm dancing and I can't be bothered now,'' the teen said. 'It's really relatable. All this bad stuff was happening, but I'm tap dancing with my best friends. It was like a getaway to a little paradise.'
USA Today
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How Madonna wrestled away 'Vision Quest' spotlight as world went 'Crazy for You'
How Madonna wrestled away 'Vision Quest' spotlight as world went 'Crazy for You' Show Caption Hide Caption 'Vision Quest': Watch Matthew Modine's Louden wrestle Shute Matthew Modine's wrestling training paid off in the final bout against Shute (Frank Jasper) in 1985's "Vision Quest," which is turning 40. While traveling through Italy in 1985 to promote his breakout role in the coming-of-age drama "Vision Quest," Matthew Modine was struck by what appeared to be a concert poster for the young singer Madonna. Modine, then 26, quickly realized that the Madonna sign wasn't for a concert, but was publicizing the Italian release of the wrestling movie. The title and marketing had been changed to emphasize the ascending Queen of Pop, who performed "Crazy for You" in the film. "The title was 'Pazzo Per Te' which means 'Crazy for You,' " says Modine, who recalls the European promotion minimized his main character in a jubilant wrestling match celebration. "This movie poster was primarily Madonna. Then there I was with my arms up in victory." The meteorically rising Madonna had wrestled away the "Vision Quest" spotlight with her screen debut, a three-and-a-half minute singing scene. As the cult classic film turns 40 on Saturday (available for home viewing), Modine, now 65, thanks the Material Girl for drawing worldwide attention to the sports drama. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox. "It's a testament to Madonna's power as a recording artist. She's this incredible force of nature," says Modine. "I was happy she got to break her career during a movie I happened to be in." 'Vision Quest' at 40: A cult-classic sports movie Over four decades, "Vision Quest" has become an inspirational movie favorite with its '80s-power soundtrack and triumphant tale. A similar underdog story to the '80s football classic "Rudy" (with wrestling headgear rather than helmets), the story centers on high school wrestler Louden Swain (Modine), whose daunting life mission is to battle regional bad boy Shute (Frank Jasper) while finding love with beautiful Carla (Linda Fiorentino). Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has name-checked the flick as his all-time favorite movie, which he screens to inspire his team. UFC CEO Dana White extols "Vision Quest" as "the movie that changed the trajectory of my life" (as seen in a video clip Modine tweeted in November). "The funny thing about 'Vision Quest' is that it's a perennial, it keeps finding an audience," says Modine. "People love it." Modine packed on muscle and sweated through two months of intensive training with wrestling coach Cash Stone and high school champion wrestlers to perform on the mats believably. The intricate training drills also feature young actors playing Louden's teammates, such as Forest Whitaker (as Balldozer) and "Sixteen Candles" heartthrob Michael Schoeffling (as Louden's troubled bestie, Kuch). Drama school graduate Fiorentino, only one year older than Modine, broke out with her movie debut as Louden's mysterious older love interest, Carla. Madonna was on a superstar 'Vision Quest' during filming Filming in late 1983, the newly signed Warner Bros. artist Madonna did not have time to make much of an impression on the set in Spokane, Washington. The actors briefly met the singer who would perform at the Bigfoot Pub & Eatery for a pivotal scene where Carla and Louden slow dance. "It was this young girl from New York via Michigan who was going to sing a couple of songs," says Modine. "We had never heard of Madonna. But it was nice to have something sweet to dance to." Wearing her soon-to-be trademark lace headband and cross earrings, Madonna opens the scene singing and dancing to her song "Gambler." Without any between-song banter, the singer slows it down for "Crazy for You," prompting Carla and Louden to dance. "Crazy for You" receives repeat plays in scenes throughout the movie. "She was on set for four or five hours. Then she was gone," says Modine. "She had plans, big plans." After wrapping her film debut, Madonna mania exploded with 1984 video hits like "Borderline," "Like a Virgin," and "Material Girl." "Crazy for You" reached the Billboard Hot 100's top spot in May 1985, months after "Vision Quest" hit U.S. theaters. Which countries changed the 'Vision Quest' title to 'Crazy for You'? Italy was not the only country to change the "Vision Quest" title to language-appropriate versions of Madonna's "Crazy for You." Argentina's film became "Loco Por Ti," and Finland followed suit with "Hulluna Sinuun." Australia and the United Kingdom used both titles. "I love the title, 'Vision Quest,' and everything that it implies. Louden is on this quest," says Modine. "But 'Crazy for You" is a pretty great title, too. So it all worked out." Modine went on to acclaim in films like Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" (1987), won an ensemble acting Screen Actors Guild Award for Netflix's "Stranger Things" and has become part of director Christopher Nolan's acting stable, starring in "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) and "Oppenheimer" (2023). He was thrilled to meet Madonna for a second time, seated next to the icon at a fashion show a decade after the movie. The duo discussed the wild journey. "She told me that whenever she does a concert, she sings 'Crazy for You.' It was a big hit for her," says Modine "It's nice that she acknowledged that she was part of that movie."
